UPDATE: Is Sandoval’s .161 start a sign of contract pressing?

UPDATE 6:05 P.M.: It would be tempting to blame Pablo Sandoval’s .161 batting average through the first eight games on contract distractions, if not for the number of hard-hit balls that have found gloves. He seems to have at least one a game. In Tuesday’s home opener it was a lineout to right.

Sandoval has had a couple of big hits, including Saturday’s three-run homer in Los Angeles.

Now, there are no talks to create a distraction. After agreeing after spring training to table talks, the two sides exchanged a few proposals over a 24-hour period this weekend, but those went nowhere and talks were suspended again.

Sandoval representative set five years at $90 million as a floor during spring training and apparently did not budge far over the weekend. The Giants had offered a three-year, $40 million deal, leaving the sides $50 million apart.

Manager Bruce Bochy met with Sandoval during spring training to discuss the need to separate contract issues and plate apperances. So far, Bochy does not see his third baseman pressing.

“I like his approach right now,” Bochy said. “I think he’s seeing pitches. He’s showing some discipline up there. He should have better numbers with some of the hard outs he’s making. He is swinging batter than .160, or whatever he is.”

Sandoval actually leads the Giants in plate discipline. He has seen 4.33 pitches per plate appearances, compared to 3.69 for Brandon Belt and 3.46 for Angel Pagan.

ORIGINAL POST: Manager Bruce Bochy promised Joaquin Arias would get some playing time, and today he does, a day after Brandon Hicks struck out three times.

To which I say: #freeadrianza

Pretty standard lineup against Bronson Arroyo, whom the Giants knocked in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 8-5 at Arizona. Tim Lincecum started that game and went six innings and allowed four runs, two on Paul Goldschmidt’s sixth career homer against him.

When we asked Lincecum about that Goldschmidt ownership, he looked at us and said, “You tell me.”

Return here for any important pregame notes and, as always, follow me @hankschulman on Twitter for up-to-the-second retweets of whatever Alex Pavlovic writes.